Foetal and maternal rat brain acetylcholinesterase: isoenzymes changes following insecticidal carbamate derivatives poisoning.

Pregnant rats (18th day) were orally given insecticidal carbamates with anticholinesterasic properties: 50 mg/kg carbaryl, 0.1 mg/kg aldicarb, 2.5 mg/kg carbofuran and 20 mg/kg pirimicarb. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) isoenzymes from the brain of mothers and their foetuses were separated by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide ge. The four carbamate derivatives caused a significant lowering of the percentage of the least mobile isoenzyme (isoenzyme 1) in mother. Aldicarb, carbaryl and pirimicarb also caused a significant decrease in the percentage of the first foetal isoenzyme. The second foetal isoenzyme underwent a decrease after treatment with aldicarb or carbofuran. The distribution of the foetal isoenzymes was seen to be different to that of the dams in both control and treated animals. The difference in sensitivity of the cerebral AChE to the insecticides under investigation is thought to depend on differences of the fixation of carbamate derivatives on the foetal and maternal isoenzymes.